Senate committee outlines FY26 budget, adopts technical amendments and sends bill back to House

The Vermont Senate on April 30 heard the Appropriations Committee report on H.493, the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill, adopted technical amendments on the floor and ordered the bill for third reading.

The Appropriations Committee chair, Senator Perchlik (Senator from Washington district), told the chamber the committee met with the governor’s budget office, agency commissioners and secretaries, nonprofit contractors and other stakeholders while preparing a balanced budget. “The committee did a lot of work meeting with representation representatives of the governor's budget office, commissioners and secretaries throughout state government,” Perchlik said as she opened the presentation.

Why it matters: H.493 aggregates general fund and special fund spending and program language that set agency budgets for FY26. The bill incorporates an Appropriations Committee proposal of amendment and a set of technical floor amendments that the Senate adopted before moving the bill toward third reading and further action with the House.

Key points and committee actions

- Committee process and vote: The Appropriations Committee reported the bill and its proposed amendments to the full Senate; the report carried a 7–0–0 committee vote, Perchlik said. The full Senate approved the committee’s…